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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
I liked the twist and the idea of the story overall, but the characters were underdeveloped for me. Like there were interesting aspects of them but they were mostly pretty flat. There was so much I wanted expanded on but it felt a lot was left out to keep the image of intrigue. It was def a good atmospheric book and I enjoyed the addition of interviews and articles sprinkled at the end of the sections like a multimedia type of deal. I would've def ranked this higher if the characters weren't so bland. The story and idea is there! The characters are just the letdowns. this was truly a gaslight gatekeep girlboss revenge story. Loved that aspect of it. Like yes girl get that revenge! A little murder and lying is okay as a little treat! Could've been a 5 star if the characters weren't just "pretty, commanding jock. Rich, pretty influencer girl. Nerdy, organized girl. Music boi. Art hoe. Obsessing over mc best friend. And main girl facing family/financial struggles" art hoe had so much potential that I feel like it was wasted. Jock, influencer, and obsessed bff also had potential that was wasted. Ugh so much potential for them all to have more interesting deaths than interesting lives
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Death, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Grief, Cancer, and Gaslighting
nixieba25f's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
I found the pacing to be a slog, the characters flimsy, stupid, and obnoxious, and the writing to be tortured. Every turn was telegraphed entirely too hard. Felt like the author was just doing a poor novelization of a movie we’ve seen a dozen times. Did not work for me on any level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Classism, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, and Terminal illness
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an arc of this book.
After being waitlisted at her dream college for filmmaking, Alex and her friends come up with the idea to create her short film in Prahova at the castle of Vlad Dracul. With the help of an actress, they make their way to the castle...but everything turns out wrong when the power goes out, the adults disappear, and her friends start going missing.
I would say the best part about this book is the interplay of "scene descriptions" between chapters, including information from the script, the investigation, and other elements. The rest of it was a little boring and predictable, but still fun to read. This is the book equivalent of a slasher film. I think this would have been better if the ending hadn't been so predictable and the main character hadn't been described one way for most of the plot, then changed at the end. The end part of the character was interesting, but the way Alex was depicted for the majority of the book was just bland and sad.
Also...none of the side characters were interesting. So that was sad.
After being waitlisted at her dream college for filmmaking, Alex and her friends come up with the idea to create her short film in Prahova at the castle of Vlad Dracul. With the help of an actress, they make their way to the castle...but everything turns out wrong when the power goes out, the adults disappear, and her friends start going missing.
I would say the best part about this book is the interplay of "scene descriptions" between chapters, including information from the script, the investigation, and other elements. The rest of it was a little boring and predictable, but still fun to read. This is the book equivalent of a slasher film. I think this would have been better if the ending hadn't been so predictable and the main character hadn't been described one way for most of the plot, then changed at the end. The end part of the character was interesting, but the way Alex was depicted for the majority of the book was just bland and sad.
Also...none of the side characters were interesting. So that was sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
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